How Ocean Spray’s Kenosha plant made radical improvements in safety, performance, and employee satisfaction using Accountability Training and by creating a Culture of Accountability.

This article was originally published by Training Magazine. See link below for full article.

Walk up and down the aisles of any grocery store and you’re sure to see at least one, but more likely dozens, of Ocean Spray products. The cooperative nearly synonymous with “cranberries” makes products on a large scale, with a vast network of growers and facilities to get these products on grocers’ shelves.

In 2011, the Ocean Spray plant in Kenosha, WI (one of nine plants)—the plant responsible for juice production, packaging, and more than 80 percent of all of the country’s cranberry sauce production—was facing widespread problems. The plant struggled with safety, performance, and employee satisfaction. Things had to change in order for Kenosha to deliver on its commitments—and change it did. Ocean Spray turned to Partners In Leadership for Accountability Training and culture change services to help save the plant and put it on the path to success.

“Broken Down Kenosha”

The step-change in plant behavior began one August morning in 2011. An ominous mood had settled over all those gathered at the Kenosha plant warehouse, where they knew the new plant manager, Tim Peoples (now Plant Director, Food Manufacturing Network Lead), was going to be introduced. When he accepted the position, Tim knew things had gotten progressively worse at the plant, but he was shocked to learn that morning how bad things really were—and that he had only 18 months to turn things around and fix the five areas where they were failing: